This present invention relates to a flying wing structure, and more particularly to a flexible airwing structure. The present invention provides an improvement of the flying wing, such as a paraglider, by having minimized load lines and control lines, a simple and light-weight structure, extra carrying capacity, and easier flight control.
A conventional paraglider comprises of an airfoil canopy for producing a lift by the aerodynamic force exerted thereon, a plurality of flexible load lines connected to the canopy, a left and a right suspension means connected to the left side and the right side load lines respectively for supporting a rider to be suspended from the canopy by the load lines in a flight supporting position, wherein the rider can be a person or a paramotor having a center of gravity and a directional axis extending substantially in the direction of the flight of the rider in the flight supporting position.
In comparison with the frame supported by a heavy hang glider, the paraglider can carry more load weight due to its airfoil structure. The paraglider is easy to carry and storage because of its lightweight and compact size when not in use. However, the hundreds of load lines complicate the flying control and its use. Moreover, the rider cannot elevate in the air with a paraglider unless an electric or gasoline powered paramotor is used to produce a forward thrust and control the climb, descent, and level flight.
The dangers of flying paraglider include the collapse of the paraglider while in flight and the difficulty of preventing the load lines form being entangled. Moreover, there is no apparent solution to the unstable swing of the pilot of the paraglider during a sudden wind condition.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a new and improved flying wing structure having minimized load lines and control lines, a simple and light-weight structure, extra carrying capacity, and easier flight control.
This present invention relates to a flying airwing structure, providing a substantial improvement over the prior flying wing structures, such as a paraglider, by having minimized load lines and control lines, a simple and light-weight structure, extra carrying capacity, and easier flight control.
Therefore, an objective of the present invention is to provide an airwing structure for aircrafts or similar flying objects which are easy to control and operate. Another objective of the present invention is to provide an airwing structure that minimizes the supporting frames and/or loading and suspension lines to reduce the weight and the manufacturing cost of the airwing structure.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide an airwing structure, comprising of a ram air inflatable airfoil canopy and an airwing frame supporting the airfoil canopy to form an airwing for carrying a vehicle body, that can be powered by a relatively small engine of small output, whether gasoline or electrical. Additionally, because of low energy requirement due to the efficiency of the airwing structure, another objective of the present invention is to provide an airwing structure for supporting a pilot in air, wherein the pilot can operate the airwing to regulate the climb, descent, airborne steering, and level flight without the need of gasoline or electrical power. Another objective is to provide a quiet and nearly silent operation of the airwing structure through its remarkable efficiency. Additionally, due to its quietness and low power requirement, it is an objective of the present invention to be able to provide quiet surveillance over an area over a long period of time.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide an airwing structure for constructing a powered aircraft that is easy to launch, take off, and control during the flight, while providing a substantial safety. Therefore, it is an objective of the present invention to provide an airwing structure that is easy to pilot as to enable safe solo flights by relatively inexperienced persons.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide an airwing structure that is able to have a vehicle body adapted to suspend below the airwing for a distance equal to or less than half the length of the airwing. Moreover, it is an objective to combine the usefulness of the rear wing, the rudders, and the stabilizers to the airwing structure.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide an airwing structure that is easily controlled using a remote control, while the cost of the airwing structure remains very low for various toy applications. Moreover, it is an objective of the present invention to simulate the flying creatures, such as birds and pterodactyls, which can be controlled remotely. Furthermore, it is an objective of the present invention to collapse the airwing structure for easy storage and transportation.
All of the above mentioned objectives can be achieved by the present invention. The airwing structure according to the present invention comprises of an airfoil structure, a main frame, and a means for providing a downward and a forward tension on the airfoil structure. The airfoil structure further comprises of a leading edge, a trailing edge, a left edge (or otherwise referred to as a left wing tip), a right edge (or otherwise referred to as a right wing tip), a central wing root, a thrust line (a line of thrust of air during the flight), and a plurality of chord lines. Moreover, the airfoil structure comprises of a substantially flexible surface skin and the airfoil structure also has a downward arc for producing lift by aerodynamic forces exerted thereon.
The main frame comprises of a leading bar and a supporting bar. The leading bar is fixedly attached to the leading edge supporting and maintaining the leading edge from collapsing. The supporting bar is attached to the leading bar and attached to the trailing edge supporting and maintaining the airfoil structure from collapsing.
The means for providing a downward and a forward tension on the leading bar allows the chord lines of a substantial portion of the airfoil structure to be aligned with the central wing root and the thrust line; making the chord lines to have the same angle of attack with the central wing root and the thrust line during the flight condition. It is important aspect of the invention that the means for providing a downward and a forward tension on the leading bar maintains the downward tension and the forward tension simultaneously on the leading bar. This simultaneous downward tension and the forward tension allow the airwing to maintain the desired shape for the flight, and sets this invention apart from all other prior art, including U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,100 to Snyder, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,443 to Jones, et al, which do not provide for the forward tension of the airwing.
The control of the airwing can be easily accomplished by moving the left edge and/or the right edge up and down. One way to move the left edge or the right edge up or down is to pull down a portion of the left edge or the right edge, or pull down a portion of the airfoil structure. Additionally, the means for providing a downward and a forward tension can also be used to move the left edge and the right edge to control the lift and the movement of the airwing structure.
The preferred version of the airwing structure uses a parafoil as the airfoil. The parafoil comprises of an air inflatable airfoil-shaped canopy that has plurality of air intake openings at the leading edge, allowing the air to inflate the airfoil-shaped canopy. The preferred version of the inflatable airfoil-shaped canopy further comprises of a plurality of air cells extending from about the leading edge to about the trailing edge. The air cells comprises of ribs formed of substantially airfoil shape, wherein the ribs are connected between the top skin and the bottom skin forming the air cells. As a further improvement, the air cells can have numerous communicating holes which allow the air communication between adjacent air cells.
Moreover, the preferred version of the airfoil structure further comprises of a left stiffening rod and a right stiffening rod. The left stiffening rod attaches to the leading edge and to the left edge substantially towards the trailing edge and the right stiffening rod attaches to the leading edge and to the right edge substantially towards the trailing edge to tighten the trailing edge and to give stiffness to the left edge and the right edge respectively. Alternatively, a single stiffening rod can be used in lieu of the left stiffening rod and the right stiffening rod.
For a smaller application of the present invention, the airwing structure can be a folding structure for the convenience of storage and transportation. For a larger application or for a simulation of flying creatures, a fuselage can replace the supporting bar.
A preferred version has a thrusting means, such as an engine with a propeller, attached to the airwing structure. Such a thrust means, or a plurality of thrust means, can be attached to the supporting bar or to the leading bar.
A load can be carried by the airwing structure. A load bearing member can be attached to the leading bar or the supporting bar. The load bearing member can carry a load or a cavity to carry a load at the end of the load bearing member. The preferred version of the present invention has the load bearing member attached to the supporting bar on or about the center of gravity of the airfoil. If the thrust means is attached to the load or the cavity carrying the load, then the most of the available thrust can be transferred as the useful energy when the load bearing member is attached to the supporting bar on or about the center of gravity of the airfoil.
A preferred version of the present invention has a forward extension that extends beyond the leading edge. This forward extension can be used to provide a forward tension on the leading bar, and also can be used to provide a downward tension on the leading bar simultaneously. However, it is common to have the forward extension provide the forward tension while the downward tension on the leading bar is provided by either a preformed downward arc or a set of strings or bars attached to the lower portion of the airwing structure, such as the load bearing member or the outer skin of the cavity, providing the downward tension. The simultaneous downward tension and the forward tension allow the airwing to maintain the desired shape for the flight.
When the downward tension is provided from a set of strings or bars attached to the lower portion of the airwing structure, such as the load bearing member or the outer skin of the cavity, then control of the airwing can be easily performed remotely. A controlling means can be provided by having a control arm with a left tip and a right tip, a left tension bearing member, and a right tension bearing member, whereby the left tension bearing member is attached about the left tip or the left wing portion and the right tension bearing member is attached about the right tip or the right wing portion so that a rotation of the control arm controls the airwing structure by adjusting the tension on either or both the left tension bearing member and the right tension bearing member.
Although the present invention has been thus summarized in this section, a fuller understanding of the present invention, along with the realization of the objectives aforementioned, can be obtained by the appended figures, description, and claims.